| Hellraiser (2022 film) | |
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 Promotional Poster | |
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Directed by |
David Bruckner |
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Produced by |
David S. Goyer |
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Written by |
Ben Collins |
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Distributed by |
Hulu |
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Release Date |
October 5th, 2022 |
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Running Time |
120 minutes |
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Preceded by |
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Hellraiser is a 2022 American horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski from a screen story by David S. Goyer. The film stars Odessa A'zion and Jamie Clayton. It serves as a reboot of 1987 film of the same name and the eleventh installment in the Hellraiser franchise, the film also adheres closely to the source material novella by Clive Barker, The Hellbound Heart.
The project is a co-production between Spyglass Media Group and Phantom Four Films.
Plot[]
Roland Voight, a businessman, invites a homeless person named Joey to his mansion where he introduces him to an architectural puzzle box. Upon solving it, Joey is cut by a blade on the box before he is brutally murdered by a slew of chains.
Six years later, Riley McKendry, a recovering drug addict, is living with her estranged brother Matt, his boyfriend Colin, and their roommate Nora. Riley's boyfriend, Trevor, convinces her to help break into an abandoned storage warehouse where the only thing they find is the puzzle box which Trevor entrusts to Riley despite her concern.
After returning home late, Riley and Matt get into an argument when he accuses her of relapsing and forces her to leave. Upset, Riley takes the box to a nearby playground where she solves it but misses being cut by the blade. Riley then begins seeing horribly mutilated creatures who tell her the blade was meant to pierce her flesh before passing it on.
Matt, feeling guilty about his strained relationship with Riley, finds her blacked out in the park but cuts himself on the box trying to wake her up. He leaves Riley to tend his wound in a bathroom but ends up having a headache. Outside, Riley notices the box changing shapes before she hears Matt screaming, finding him missing upon entering the bathroom.
Riley tries to convince Trevor that the box caused Matt's disappearance but he does not believe her. To find more answers about the box, Trevor accompanies Riley to an assisted living facility where Voight's former lawyer, Serena Menaker, currently resides. She guesses correctly that Riley solved the puzzle box and her brother is missing, and tries to take the box away from Riley but is cut by the blade in the process. After Riley and Trevor leave, Menaker is taken victim by the Cenobites.
Riley seeks for more answers at Voight's mansion investigates journals and the architecture of the mansion, and is encountered by Matt's ghost. She embraces him but finds he has been flayed, hugging his muscles and nerves. Trevor, Colin, and Nora arrive to take Riley home. While Riley is explaining the box to Colin, Nora hits a switch in the bar of the mansion thay opens a secret passage. She goes to explore but Trevor inadvertently shuts the door leaving her trapped. As he tries to rescue Nora, she is stabbed by a mysterious figure by the box blade. Riley, Trevor, and Colin leave in Trevor's van to get her help, and Nora finds herself in a decrepit hallway with the Cenobites approaching her. They hoist her up midair with chains, and the lead Cenobite referred to as "Pinhead" taunts her with needles before she explodes.
The others crash their van after Riley sees a reflection of Nora's torture in the rearview mirror, where upon Riley encounters The Priest herself. She reminds her she must finish the last 2 configurations of the puzzle, and either sacrifice herself or two others for completion. The three make their way back to the mansion as Pinhead and the other Cenobites approach them, and Trevor is injured by The Chatterer. Riley solves the next configuration and stabs The Chatterer, leading him to be the next sacrifice and die.
They escape the other Cenobites into the mansion, and find that there are steel doors to lock them out. Riley devises a plan with Colin to lure another Cenobite inside to become the last sacrifice using the steel doors to trap it, but drops and loses the box in the process. Colin tries to find it but is stabbed by the mysterious figure, revealed to be Voight. Voight traps the Cenobites inside of the mansion but separated from himself and the others. He explains to the group he sought “sensation” after completing all of his sacrifices, and his "reward" resulted in a contraption being attached to him to twist his nerve endings, and seeks to reverse the damage. Voight speaks with Trevor in private, revealing he paid Trevor to complete the sacrifices with the box.
As Voight is negotiating with The Priest for a different reward, Riley escapes with the box and unlocks the steel doors, causing The Priest and Voight to come face to face, as well as bringing The Gasp to Colin. The Gasp begins to sacrifice Colin, and Trevor reveals to Riley he was aware of the consequences of the box. Riley reminds The Gasp that the deal was the box is in her hands, leading her to choose sacrifices, but she did not choose Colin. She instead stabs Trevor with the box, and he becomes the final sacrifice. Voight is successful in convincing The Priest for a different reward, the contraption is undone and his body is restored, and The Priest allows him to experience true power. A large chain crashes through the ceiling into Voight's chest, lifting him into the Cenobite realm despite his pleas.
Riley approaches the Cenobites with the box. The Priest offers her to choose her reward, and she chooses no reward, instead living her life with the guilt and pain she caused to others. The Priest tells her that this is the Lament Configuration, a life of regret with bitter and brief suffering. The box reverts to its original state and she sets it on the floor, then she and Colin leave the mansion.
Voight is seen in the Cenobite realm displayed on a board or altar, then his skin is flayed and pins are inserted into him, while his eyes change color, showing he is now experiencing true power.
Cast[]
- Odessa A'zion as Riley McKendry
- Jamie Clayton as Pinhead
- Adam Faison as Colin
- Drew Starkey as Trevor
- Brandon Flynn as Matt McKendry
- Aofie Hinds as Nora
- Jason Liles as Chatterer
- Yinka Olorunnife as The Weeper
- Selina Lo as The Gasp
- Zachary Hing as The Asphyx
- Gorica Regodić as The Mother
- Vukašin Jovanović as The Masque
- Goran Višnjić as Roland Voight
- Kit Clarke as Joey Coscuna
- Hiam Abbass as Serena Menaker
- Predrag Bjelac as Lorenz
- Ivona Kustudić as Nurse
- Greg Decuir as Orderly
- Miodrag Milovanov as Elderly Man
- Nicola Kent as paramedic
- Katarina Gojković as Elderly Man's Daughter
Production[]
Development[]
In October 2006, Clive Barker announced through his official website that he would be writing the script to a forthcoming remake of the original Hellraiser film, to be produced by Dimension Films. French director Pascal Laugier was set to direct the film but was later taken off the project due to creative differences with the producers; Laugier wanted his film to be a very serious take whereas the producers wanted the film to be more commercial and appeal to a teen audience. In October 2010, it was officially announced that Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer were to direct and write, respectively, a reboot of the Hellraiser franchise. The film's story would have differed from the original film, as Lussier and Farmer did not want to retell the original story out of respect for Barker's work. The film was to instead focus on the world and function of the puzzle box. However, in 2011, Farmer confirmed that both he and Lussier were dropped from the project.
In October 2013, Barker announced that he would be directing and writing the film; Doug Bradley was to return in his role as Pinhead. A year later, Barker stated that a second draft of the script was completed and described the film as a "very loose" remake of the original film, but said that he may not direct the film. In March 2017, Barker said that the film's "script was written and delivered to Dimension years ago. That was the last anyone heard until news of a sequel surfaced". After the successful release of the 2018 horror sequel Halloween, Miramax Films confirmed that it was considering beginning production on new installments to the Hellraiser franchise.
Pre-production[]
In May 2019, Gary Barber announced that Spyglass Media Group would be developing a new remake of Hellraiser to be written and co-produced by David S. Goyer. In April 2020, David Bruckner was reported to direct the remake, with Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski writing the script after having previously collaborated with Bruckner on The Night House (2020) in which Goyer also produced. In June 2021, it was reported that Odessa A'zion was cast in the lead role. In a July 2021 interview with Entertainment Weekly, it was revealed that the film's producers auditioned Gottmik for the role of Pinhead, after Gottmik showed off a Pinhead-inspired look for a horror-themed runway, on RuPaul's Drag Race.
Filming[]
In September 2021, Goyer announced that the production crew was "in the midst of" filming, confirming that principal photography had commenced. In October 2021, after filming wrapped, Jamie Clayton was revealed to have portrayed Pinhead, while Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, and Hiam Abbass were added to the supporting cast.
Post-production[]
Marketing[]
On August 24, 2022, the first teaser trailer was released, revealing a first glance of Jamie Clayton as Pinhead and a release date for October 7, 2022.
Release[]
Hellraiser was exclusively released on the streaming service, Hulu, on October 7, 2022, as a Hulu original film.
Reception[]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 67 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads, "A gift for long-suffering fans after numerous subpar sequels, David Bruckner's Hellraiser unlocks the puzzle box for getting this franchise back on the right track." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Trivia[]
- It is the first Hellraiser film to feature a female Pinhead.
External links[]
- Hellraiser (2022 film) at Wikipedia
- Hellraiser (2022) at IMDb